


Wherever You Are (You Are Here)

by bigblueboxat221b



Series: How Does Your Marriage Work? [4]
Category: Come From Away - Sankoff & Hein
Genre: After Gander, As if I could write any other kind, Diane POV, Don't copy to another site, F/M, Falling In Love, Happy Ending, Light Angst, Long-Distance Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-29 02:48:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20074867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bigblueboxat221b/pseuds/bigblueboxat221b
Summary: Much as they might want to, Diane and Nick can't stay in Gander forever. But can their relationship last when he lives in London and she in Texas?





	Wherever You Are (You Are Here)

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This is not RPF  
While Nick and Diane in the musical are based on real people, this story is set strictly in the fictional representation of them in the musical, ‘Come From Away’. I haven’t done any research into their personal lives, and anything further than what is canon in the musical is completely made up, with the exception of some geographical details. This is not intended to represent the real life couple in any way, their thoughts, attitudes or actions. It’s just my brain saying, ‘what if?’, as it does to every story that resonates with me.

Diane leaned back, allowing the door to click closed behind her. The air was still and warm; her house had been closed up for almost three weeks now, between her two holidays – the planned in London and the unplanned in Gander. On autopilot, she moved through the house, opening the windows to let fresh air in. It wasn’t cool, but it was better.

_It’s so quiet._

Newfoundland had been busy and relentlessly noisy, even in the middle of the night. With so many people in such a small space, she’d taken herself out for walks as often as possible, needing to escape the sound and smell and presence of so many people. Nervous, frightened people, despite the efforts of the locals. Pausing, Diane pulled a photo of her son off the refrigerator. She looked at it for a long moment, remembering the fear, cold and heavy in her stomach when she didn’t know if he was safe.

Picking up the phone, she hit speed dial. It only rang once before he picked up.

“Mom?” he blurted, and she burst into tears at the relief in his voice.

Getting through the conversation was difficult, assuring him she was fine, safe and home again. He was still interstate, having flown straight to Florida for work. Promising to pick him up from the airport when he returned, Diane felt guilt flow with her relief when she hung up the phone. She didn’t even know how to separate all the emotions swirling through her. Everything looked different now. Blinking, she walked back to the front door, her bag and suitcase still sitting where she’d left them.

Her suitcase needed to be unpacked; clothes to be washed, souvenirs to be sorted. The kind of thing she would always do immediately, tucking the suitcase away as the washing machine started its work. But that was Before. Before everything had changed, before the four days at the edge of the world, surreal and completely unlike from her usual life. Before she’d chosen new and different and daring over safe and familiar.

Before…

_I need a shower._

More automatic motions, and she found herself sitting on the edge of her bed. Clean, dressed in her own clothes; she could feel the coolness on the back of her neck where her wet hair clung to her skin. One part of her brain suggested she turn on the television, find out what had happened in the hours since she left Canada, but she couldn’t face more of those terrible images. More of the anguish of a nation – her nation – spread across the television in a display that felt indelicate to watch again.

_I wonder what time it is in London._

With a sob, she lay down, tucking her feet up close as she finally admitted the truth to herself.

_I miss Nick. I miss him terribly._

As tears slid sideways down her face, blurring her vision, Diane allowed the grief to swell in her. It felt selfish, in the wake of something so globally horrific, to be more concerned with herself, but she couldn’t help it. Nick was on a plane, probably – he’d headed off to book the first flight back to London. He’d promised to call, but it would be at least half a day before she’d really expect to hear from him. Probably more.

It felt like a lifetime. From that first introduction – he escaping the carousing in the back of the plane, she trying not to think about David – they’d barely spent more than a few hours apart. Initially it was through circumstance, but Diane found herself looking for Nick’s kind, familiar face more and more often.

They’d found cots next to each other, that small, recent friendship more than anyone else could offer in this vast group of unfamiliar people. He was reserved and a little awkward, but sincere in his kindness and a chivalry she’d forgotten men could display. Something she’d forgotten she liked, really. He’d walked with her when she was restless and they talked easily, Diane chattering along until he relaxed and opened up a little at a time. By the time they decided to go to the screech in, she’d realised her affection for him was growing, and according to him – she couldn’t quite remember – she’d kissed him instead of the fish.

Not that it was a great contest really.

And then the wonderful misunderstanding on the plane, and they’d had those few glorious hours together before Dallas. And London, for him. A world away, as far as she was concerned; her holiday there already felt like a lifetime ago, with everything that happened in between.

And now he was gone.

And now she was alone.

_Oh, Nick…_

The grief rose up again, and this time when Diane let it flow the depth of her pain dragged so deep she found herself exhausted. When the emptiness of sleep crept over her, she welcomed it gladly.

+++

The shrill ring beside her head pulled her from sleep, and Diane sat up, blinking and fumbling for the phone.

“Hello?” she mumbled, her mouth and brain both fuzzy. Everything was slow to catch up until she heard her name in that familiar accent.

“Diane?” Her heart skipped a beat before he could say it, and she already knew. “It’s Nick.”

“Nick!”

“I hope I didn’t wake you, I have no idea what time it is there.”

_We’re in different time zones. An entire ocean between us._

“Me either,” she replied. “It’s dark out, so it must be night. I think I fell asleep.” She smiled, but it faded when she realised he couldn’t see it. “My body doesn’t have any idea what time it is.” Her voice sounded strange, the false humour falling flat.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

_No. You’re too far away._

“I made it here in one piece,” she said, trying for a bit of a laugh at the end. It didn’t sound convincing, and she hoped Nick didn’t notice. “What time is it there?”

“Around nine A.M.,” he replied. “Sunday, I think.” She could hear the tiredness in his voice.

“Are you at home?”

“Yes, I just got in,” he replied. “Everything’s…exactly the same.”

“But it’s not,” Diane corrected quietly. “It feels different.”

“Yes,” Nick agreed.

The silence was long, and Diane wished he was there. For all the time they’d spent together, and all the conversations, the quiet moments sitting together were her favourite. Just quiet companionship, comfortable despite the newness of their friendship. They’d looked over the ocean and she’d wondered how far it was from there to London. Wondered if she could offer to visit, to continue their friendship.

Well, more than friendship now. But how much more?

They made more conversation, but it was stilted. They were both tired, and for the first time, the full impact of how far apart they were really hit her. She wondered if he was feeling it too.

When Nick hung up, she let the dial tone buzz in her ear until the receiver grew too heavy to hold up.

_How are we going to keep doing this?_

Closing her eyes, Diane sat up, trying to remember some of the best moments. They were still in her mind, but tinged with sadness now. Looking at them through the prism of her sadness was changing them, so she packed them away for the moment.

_Pull it together. You need to pick up David today. It’s time to get on with your life._

+++

For the first couple of weeks, they talked almost every day, but it only made Diane feel sadder. She thought of him constantly, and the hours in between their conversations felt barren. She and Nick connected in Gander, and she knew she’d fallen in love with him. But he was on the other side of the world, and he had his life – who was she to ask him to come all the way over to visit? Their time in Gander was special, a magical interlude while the rest of the world lived the horror of those bleak September days. But the sparkle was so easily dulled by the practicalities of life. Of two lives, completely separate and only linked by their common experience of the day that changed the whole world.

By now, her friends knew all about Nick. She knew she talked about him non-stop, but he seemed bursting with colour and life compared to things at home. The mundanity of everyday life couldn’t compare with her memories of their time in Gander. A shared time; she wondered if Nick thought of it as fondly.

Her closest friend Carmel was worried about her. Diane knew because Carmel had sat her down and told her with good solid Texas bluntness, “You need to get over him, Diane. He’s too far away.”

But nothing here was the same anymore, and Nick felt like a rock, like something as solid as the Newfoundland rock itself, anchoring her to the person she’d chosen to be out there. The person nobody knew, who drank more beer than was good for her and kissed a man instead of a fish.

The old Diane wouldn’t have done either, she thought. Though perhaps the change started before Gander. She’d barely travelled when she was married, yet this trip to London had excited her, sent her dreaming about other places, about saving her pennies to fly to all sorts of places.

Now she only wanted to go back to the one place she’d already been.

London.

And Nick.

+++

“Diane?”

“Hello, Nick,” she said, choking down the sob that seemed to be so close to the surface these days. Anything reminded her now, as though the world was attuned to her. Beer on sale, a cod special on a menu; barely a day went by when she didn’t find herself reaching for tissues as something reminded her of Gander. Of Nick. The memories were strong, and more than once she’d been stopped in her tracks as it hit her.

“I have some news,” Nick said, surprising her. He always asked how she was first. It must be important.

_Maybe he’s met somebody?_

The thought made her feel physically ill.

“Yes?” she said cautiously.

“The conference has been rescheduled,” he said. “Still in Dallas, at head office. In three weeks.”

“Three weeks,” Diane repeated. The butterflies in her stomach took flight again as she considered his careful words. He wasn’t asking for anything, merely letting her know he would be here. In Dallas.

“Yes,” Nick said. “I was wondering if you’d like to…”

“I hope you don’t think you’ll be coming all this way and not seeing me,” Diane told him with the forthright humour she’d found in herself in Gander.

“No,” he said, and the relief was clear in his voice. “In fact my boss has asked me to take some of my leave while I’m there, I’m owed quite a bit.” He gave a nervous laugh. “Asked if I’d made any American friends I might like to visit while I’m over there.”

“Right,” Diane replied. “When is that, exactly?”

Her hand trembled as she wrote down the dates – the first four days for the conference, then a week of holiday time.

“Have you booked your flights?” she asked. “I could pick you up if you’d like.”

“That would be wonderful,” he said, and the sincerity in his voice was a balm to her aching heart. Their conversation was stilted again, but this time she could feel herself holding back words, things she wanted to say. She wondered if Nick was doing the same now that they had a timeline.

_Three weeks. Three weeks and you can tell him in person._

+++

Diane checked her notes again, tapping the paper with her fingernail. She was at the right place, and Nick’s flight should have landed. People milled around, waiting, straining to see each time the automatic doors opened to allow a trickle of people through the doors. Customs couldn't be rushed, Diane knew, but this last few moments of waiting was agony. She wanted to go and check her hair again, but the possibility of missing Nick made it impossible. Thinking of her hair reminded Diane of Gander; Nick had said he’d liked her hair, even after three days of no shampoo.

_He’s not going to care._

She hoped that was true, at least. They hadn’t seen each other in weeks; who knew how he felt?

As the door opened, admitting the next people to have passed through customs, Diane craned her neck automatically, not really expecting Nick to be in this batch. When she did spot him, her heart jumped, and a gasp fell from her lips without realising.

Any plan of how she might react went out the window; trembling, she moved forward through the crowd, trying to keep Nick in view. He had slowed to a stop, looking around for her, and the moment he spotted her was glorious. Her anxiety about their meeting had been completely unnecessary as his face lit up.

Their eyes met, and the smile that broke across his face was mirrored on hers. His shoulders dropped in relief, and as they moved towards each other, Diane felt tears well in her eyes. He looked exactly as she remembered, though of course, without the green and yellow Gander jacket in her memory; the tailored jacket he wore was far more him, anyway.

“Hello,” he said as they approached each other.

Diane didn’t stop, reaching up to cup his face without saying a word. He smiled and bent down, kissing her without pause.

It was perfect.

“Hi,” Diane said, when they finally broke apart. They still stood close, ignoring the flow of people around them as his eyes and hers adored each other once again.

“I’ve missed you,” Nick said.

“I love you,” Diane blurted, wincing as her mouth took over without her brain’s permission.

“I love you, too,” Nick replied, and kissed her again, right there in the middle of the airport.

+++  
Eleven days later, they stood at the airport again.

Diane couldn’t believe how much had changed. Nick had attended his conference, of course, but every spare moment he had spent with Diane. She’d invited him for dinner that first night, which he had to turn down – there was a formal introductory dinner before the first conference sessions the next morning – but he’d promised to come the following evening instead. She’d taken the day off work, flitting nervously around her house, planning dinner and cleaning, having her hair cut and changing clothes half a dozen times.

Not that Nick had cared about any of that.

As soon as he arrived they barely spoke, the possibilities for the night stretching ahead in a breath-taking array. They’d spent so much time kissing when he arrived that dinner was beyond rescue, and for all her efforts they ended up eating take away.

“I’m sorry,” Diane said. “This was not how I’d planned the evening.”

“Diane,” Nick said, “do you really think I came all this way for your cooking?”

“Nick!” Diane said, knowing her cheeks were pink at his comment. “When on earth did you start talking like that?”

“When I got back to London and realised how much I missed you,” he said. His own cheeks were flushed, she could see. It made her realise how unnatural such a declaration was for him. He was clearly determined to speak his mind this time. The thought sent a rush of affection through her.

“Well,” Diane replied. She felt herself getting choked up again. “I missed you too. Terribly.”

“I know,” Nick said, setting aside his plate to move closer. “But I’m here now.”

“No more time difference to consider,” Diane said, turning her face up as he moved to kiss her.

They didn’t even notice the ice-cream melting in the sink.

The rest of the conference days passed in a similar way, although they did manage to actually eat some of the meals Diane prepared. They talked and talked, and Diane was astonished at how open the previously reserved Englishman was, now. When the conference finished there wasn’t any discussion; he brought his bags to Diane’s flat, essentially moving in for the week of vacation time he’d booked.

“What about your hotel?” Diane asked, thought it was more curiosity than anything else.

“I may not have booked ahead,” Nick said, a little uncomfortably.

“Do you mean you planned…” Diane asked him, delighted surprise in her voice.

_He’s in this just as deep as you are._

“I hoped,” Nick corrected her. He stepped close, kissing again her with the passion she had been surprised to find within him.

And now they were here, at the airport as he waited for his flight back to London. They’d both been quiet that morning, and more physically affectionate than usual, which was saying something. Diane had even ordered them a taxi out to the airport so they could hold hands. She hadn’t mentioned her other motive – to have someone to drive her home, when she was sure her emotions would be too high to concentrate on the road.

“We’re early,” Diane said. “You’ll have plenty of time to get to your flight.”

“Actually,” Nick said, and he looked around, thinking for a moment before leading her over to a small lounge area. This area of the airport was under construction and few passengers were lingering; they were the only people in this space.

“What?” Diane asked. Her heart perhaps knew more than she did, though it could be a wish rather than knowledge. Either way, her heartrate shot up and she looked at Nick with some trepidation.

_He looks nervous._

“I wanted to ask you something,” Nick said. “Well, kind of two somethings, really, but I need to know the answer to the first question before-”

“Nick,” Diane interrupted, taking his hands, “just ask me.” Her voice was gentle, but she knew he’d ramble on for an age before he got to the point if she didn’t derail him here. He’d come a long way, but nerves still made him ramble on occasion.

“I spoke to my boss,” he blurted, “and it would be possible for me to move. To be based here. There would be some travel back to London, but not a lot, and…” he trailed off.

Diane stared at him in shock. “You’d do that?” she asked him. “Move over here? To live?”

“To be with you,” Nick told her, his heart in his eyes.

“And why…hold on, are you asking me if I want you to do that?” Diane asked, laughter burbling up along with tears.

“Well, yes, I didn’t want to presume,” Nick said.

“Oh, Nick,” Diane laughed, feeling tears run down her cheeks. “Of course I want you to move here, if that’s what you want. I love you, I can’t stand the idea of you going back to London.”

“Well, I’ll have to go today,” Nick said, “but I can start the process immediately. It might take some months.”

“I don’t care,” Diane said. “I don’t…are you sure?” She looked at him anxiously. “It’s a big deal, Nick, are you sure-”

“I want to be where you are,” Nick said, sounding far more sure of himself suddenly, “and I want you to agree to marry me when I get here.”

Diane’s brain was still trying to process the previous topic. This new idea – something she’d thought about but never brought up, made her stop, her body frozen with surprise.

“You want to marry me?” she whispered.

“Yes,” Nick said. He grinned at her. “I do.”

“Okay,” Diane felt herself sigh, the end of the sound lost as Nick kissed her again.

“Oh my God,” she said, when they broke apart. “We’re getting married!”

“Yes we are,” Nick said. “And I know exactly where we should go for our honeymoon.”

“Newfoundland!” they said together, then broke into laughter.

“Maybe this time I’ll kiss the fish,” Diane mused. The next months – or years – wouldn’t be easy, but she would have Nick with her and that was more than enough.

_Wherever you are,_ she thought, _you are here._


End file.
